Youth Activities

Calling ALL Musicians, Storytellers, Singers and Performers! The Youth & Teen Center is always actively looking for bards willing to entertain the children at the center. Feel free to sign up formally or just stop by and give a few minutes of your time to entertain the little ones (and us not so little ones). Performances must be appropriate for all ages (0–17) and no scary stories please. If inappropriate material is presented, the bardic performance will be stopped. If you are unsure if some of your material is appropriate, please ask a coordinator or choose a different piece.

Things to Know

The Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA) is a family oriented, non-profit educational organization and welcomes families bringing children under the age of 13 to Estrella War. The SCA also gives the highest priority to providing a safe and fun place for parents to learn, play and enjoy the Estrella War with their young children. This includes following stringent guidelines for how youth activities can be organized and run at Estrella War, and an emphasis on including parents/guardians in all youth activities sponsored at the event.

Before bringing young children to Estrella War, we recommend that you review all of the following information:

Attending with Minors
This explains the paperwork you must complete and bring to the Estrella War for each minor child who attends with you, as well as the curfew and guidelines that parents/temporary guardians and children much follow while at the event.

Kingdom Youth Activities Guidelines for Local SCA Group – Parents
This explains the Kingdom of Atenveldt (the local SCA chapter hosting the Estrella War) rules used to govern the running of youth activities at events in Arizona, including a description of the responsibilities of parents and temporary guardians, and the “Two Deep Leadership” model that the SCA follows when running youth activities at Estrella War.

Minor Curfews and Parental ResponsibilitiesLocal curfews require that minors 15 and under must be in their own camp or escorted by an adult from 10 PM to 5 AM, and minors 16 to 18 years old must be in their own camp or escorted by an adult from Midnight to 5 AM. Parents and temporary guardians will be held responsible for the minor’s behavior at Estrella War, and should know that everyone under 12 must wear their youth token at all times. If a minor child is found un-accompanied and endangered, a report will be filed with the war staff, and local law enforcement agencies will be notified when it is deemed necessary. Any child found unattended in a closed vehicle or tent during the day will be ‘rescued’. Even in the middle of an Arizona winter, the interior of a vehicle can quickly reach lethal temperatures.

Youth & Teen Center

Welcome to the Youth Center and Teen Center for Estrella War!

We are happy to provide a safe and fun place where the future generations of our many splendid Kingdoms can come to learn, play and enjoy themselves for the duration of the war, and maybe even share commonalties with their parents and siblings too. Stop by and see what we’re up to this year!

Youth Center Program (5-17 years)

In an effort to provide an enriched learning environment, age-appropriate Arts and Sciences classes are offered Thursday and Friday in the Youth Complex. Please look for posting of these classes at the Youth Complex and in the A&S class schedule. Parents are encouraged to attend classes & projects with their children. Estrella War XXXI will feature puzzle making, painting and bead stringing. There will be a variety of games and other activities available. During the lunch hour, no attendant will be on hand at the Youth Center. A reminder sign will be posted stating where we may be found and when we will re-open. Please make sure your child knows how to get back to camp, or opt to stay with them so that no child is lost. Be aware that SCA volunteers may not force a child to stay in an activity, so it is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian to keep children from becoming lost.

A&S classes appropriate for teens and/or youth are also offered in the A&S Pavilion. Check the class description for age restrictions, or speak with the instructor if age restrictions are not specified in the class description. An A&S track of classes targeted for youth is also offered in the Youth Center. Parents of young children are encouraged to attend classes with their children, or attend while their children play or work on open activities on the other side of the Center.

Youth Arts & Sciences Competition

The Youth Arts & Sciences Competition is to get more Youth involved with arts and sciences. The ages that can compete are from eleven years of age to 17 years of age and only one entry per youth. All Youth A&S Competition Rules are on Kingdom of Atenveldt Arts & Sciences.

Bring the kids out to the archery range on Thursday and Friday for Children’s and Youth Novice Archery, we will be hosting an Archery 101 class just for them! Get in lots of fun for TARGET PRACTICE! This activity is designed for younger children ages 5 and up. Older youth with reasonable archery experience, although welcome, may find this activity dull and are encouraged to participate with the adults. Bring your children to participate in the Children’s and Youth Novice Prize Tourney, you don’t want to miss it! Loaner gear is provided.

Activity

Hours

Days

Children’s and Youth Novice Archery 101

10:00 am to noon

Thursday, February 27, 2014 and Friday, February 28, 2014

Children’s and Youth Novice Prize Tourney

10:00 am to noon

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Note to Parents

Parents or legal guardians are responsible for their children at all times. There will be no adult supervision at the Children / Youth Complex before 10:00 am or after 3:00 pm, or while the Complex is closed for lunch. Children & Young people may come and go from the complex at their leisure. We ask that parents stay with their children under the age of 5 years and do not leave them unattended at the Children / Youth Complex. If a child is not safe to navigate the war grounds by themselves, we recommend someone of appropriate age (13 or older) stay with the child while in the Children / Youth Complex (Youth Center Staff & Volunteers cannot restrain children from leaving the area). A child younger than 13 years old is not viewed as an age appropriate guardian for a younger child left at the complex. Appropriate behaviors and adherence to the Kingdom policies are expected. Weapons, live steel, and/or illegal items are not permitted at the complex. Youth combat weapons are welcome at the complex; however, they may only be used during youth combat activities under adult youth marshals’ supervision. We strongly recommend that items of significant value be left at camp, as we will not be responsible for lost or broken personal items. In the event that a minor sustains an injury, a parent or legal guardian must be present to authorize treatment, so it is recommended that parents or legal guardians stay within sight and sound of their children. Reminder: There are canals on site. These can be dangerous areas. Do not allow children to play in or around these. (This goes for grownups, too.) Parents and guardians should be aware of the curfew for minors at the event, and are asked to review the Kingdom of Atenveldt Policy for Addressing Transgressions by Minors at SCA Events as well as Kingdom of Atenveldt Youth Activities Guidelines (copies of these will be available for review at the Children / Youth Complex). If you have further questions, or are interested in volunteering to help at the Children/Youth Complex or teach classes geared to SCA youth. Please contact the Estrella War Youth Coordinator for more information. Questions about youth combat at Estrella War should be directed to the Kingdom Youth Combat Marshal.